Pusti Gost trail
A medium hike in Val Resia on the traces of the past
If you bumped into the name Val Resia, and you’re looking for hiking tips in the area, chances are you will find information on the Ta Lipa Pot trail. But, if you like hiking alone, then I strongly advise you to choose the Pusti Gost trail.
The Pusti Gost trail, which in the local language means abandoned forest, is a hike of about 10 km for 700 meters of elevation gain, that will take you to a plateau dotted with abandoned and unused mountain huts.
Below you will find all the useful information to do this hike in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Val Resia is a valley of about 18 km long located in the eastern part of Friuli Venezia Giulia, on the border with Slovenia. The village that signals the entrance to the valley is Resiutta which you will find along the state road that connects Tolmezzo to Tarvisio.
To reach the valley from the plain, just follow directions towards Tarvisio (motorway exit A23 Carnia) and, shortly after Moggio Udinese, on the right, you will find Resiutta and the directions for entering Val Resia.
Along the valley, you will often cross the stream that gives its name to the entire valley. In case you were wondering, Val Resia is not linked to the homonymous lake in Trentino Alto-Adige.
Hike Recap
- Total km: 10
- Elevation gain: +700
- Total hours: 4h30 (including breaks)
- Difficulty: E
- CAI trails: the climb is not on a CAI trail but you will find the Vivistolvizza signs to show you the way. The descent is made on trail 643
- Children: There are no exposed or dangerous traits. If your children are used to hiking for 10 km then yes
- Support points: along this walk, there are no structures to lean on. You will find only a couple of restaurants in the center of Stolvizza.
Where to park
The Pusti Gost trail starts from the hamlet of Stolvizza (the same as Ta Lipa Pot). In Via Indrinizza you will find a convenient parking area to leave your car. The trail starts, looking at the car park, on the paved road that climbs to the left (via Alta). To start the hike, just follow the signs for Belvedere Buttolo.
The Pusti Gost trail
We begin our walk in Val Resia around 10 am. The temperature is low but we immediately find a way to warm up: with a nice climb.
We cover the first 50 meters of elevation gain to reach the Belvedere Buttolo, the location of the living nativity scene of Stolvizza, and the starting point of the Pusti Gost trail.
To show the way we find the signs posted by the Vivistolvizza local association.
Hiking among the pines
The trail, not exposed and well-marked, rises steadily and gradually steeper along the Rio Lomming. The mule track, surrounded by sparse pine trees, allows us to always keep an eye on the panorama on the Val Resia. And luckily, I add, because the slopes of the mountains look like a purple carpet of dusty wool.
Along the climb, however, the predominant element is water, which will accompany you almost to the plateau. Right from the start, you will cross several aqueduct houses and hear the roaring of Rio Lomming.
Near the junction that leads to the Crasso Shelter (the route is indicated as Vertical Kilometer), with a very small detour, you can reach a very suggestive waterfall. I advise you not only to look at the waterfall but also to admire the view that you see from here, it is really worth it.
Walking through the beech forest and the arrival on the plateau
From the waterfall onwards, the Pusti Gost trail becomes quite steep but the pines leave more and more space for the beech trees and it is like entering a golden tent.
These are the last efforts and with increasingly narrow but not exposed curves, we climb over and arrive on the plateau.
We are welcomed by a small chapel but above all by an amazing view of the woods, the nearby peaks, and a couple of renovated mountain huts (which cause me a heated wave of envy towards the owners).
On the traces of a not too distant past
We continue the hike on the forest track which starts on the right of the chapel, walking counterclockwise. In fact, we will make a loop on the plateau that will bring us back, more or less to the starting point. Here you will not have to worry about unevenness or fatigue but only enjoy the landscape.
While we walk I’m fascinated by the huts. I observe them carefully. Some are in ruins, others still standing but abandoned, others undergoing renovation. Even the oldest, however, are not all that old which leads me to deduce that until not very long ago they were used. People lived and worked here. It always leaves me with a sense of melancholy to see how quickly places can be abandoned. Walking in the mountains also means this, coming to terms with the tangible proof that nothing is eternal.
The descent with the CAI trail 643
We finish the ring on the plateau and, after eating our sandwich, we begin to descend. Also in this case the Vivistolvizza signs indicate the Pusti Gost trail. Even downhill, the path does not present any difficulty.
After about 200 meters of negative altitude, we cross the CAI trail nr 643 that will accompany us to Stolvizza. On the way back you can take a very small detour and see military fortifications from the First World War. Also in this case the route is indicated by the ProLoco signs and does not present any difficulty.
To return to the car, the path takes us through the center of the small village of Stolvizza.
Why hiking on the Pusti Gost trail
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will have realized that I don’t like crowded places and that I like to enjoy the mountains in solitude. In fact, if I am alone I have the presumption that the show that mountains offer is only for me. On the Pusti Gost trail, this is possible. Knowing it so close to the touristic Ta Lipa Pot gave me the feeling of enjoying the mountains from a privileged position.
You will love it too if you like decadent, peaceful, and fascinating landscapes.
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